The council says the warden was following procedure and the fine will stand
Bosses at a council are standing by the decision to issue a parking ticket to a broken-down bus at a bus stop. The Arriva vehicle broke down in Tenterden High Street, Ashford, Kent.
The bus operator says it could not be moved until recovery teams came to tow it to a depot, but residents saw a parking warden walk up to the bus and issue it a penalty notice. One local, Jason Hussey, said: “I really couldn’t believe my eyes earlier today when I saw our local traffic warden giving the bus a ticket at the bus stop in Tenterden. What’s going on?”
Ashford Borough Council stood by the decision to ticket the bus, saying it followed standard procedure. A spokesperson said: “We can confirm that a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) was issued because the bus had been left unattended at a bus stop.
“Under parking regulations, drivers must remain with their vehicle at all times when stopping in a restricted area such as a bus stop. Leaving a vehicle unattended is a clear breach of these rules and therefore a PCN was correctly issued.
“We’re aware there has been some local speculation about what happened, but our officers followed standard procedure based solely on the vehicle being left unattended. If the operator feels there were valid reasons for the situation, they are welcome to use the formal appeals process.”
A spokesperson for Arriva South confirmed that the bus had a mechanical fault and was stuck in limp mode. “For safety reasons, the vehicle could not be moved from the bus stop until assistance arrived,” they added. “ Our engineering team assessed the situation and, due to the nature of the fault, the bus was recovered to our depot at the earliest opportunity.
“We appreciate that parking enforcement plays an important role in keeping roads clear and safe, and we will be contacting the local council to explain the circumstances surrounding this incident.”
It comes after parking wardens in the same town gave a ticket to a procession limo outside a funeral for a war veteran. The son of the late Donald Hunter, who took part in the D-Day landings, said the fine was a “disgrace”.
